Curiosity
by PhantomLilac
Summary: It was in Loki's nature to be curious. He was curious from the moment the Void left him on the realm of Midgard. He was utterly curious about the mysterious, tall tower in the center of the city labelled "Stark." After a sudden encounter with Malekith, even SHIELD is curious...as to what Loki could offer them. Avenger!Loki, Good!Loki, FrostIron, possible nsfw
1. Chapter 1

What Loki remembered the most that day was the falling.

And the falling.

And falling.

And falling.

And the other thing that he remembered was the silence.

It burned him. He had never been somewhere truly so quiet, so meaninglessly empty.

'I could've done it, Father! For you! For all of us!'

'No, Loki.'

From that point onward, had come that dreadful plummet, as he loosened his grip on Gungnir, sealing his fate. He didn't belong in Asgard. He didn't belong in Jotunheim. As far as Loki knew, he didn't belong anywhere.

And as soon as the crushing silence hit him for what felt like eons upon eons, came the end.

As well as music.

He didn't quite know where it was coming from. He didn't quite know where he was. But it was voices, and they were singing, loud, yet distant.

Loki stood slowly, his head feeling nauseatingly dizzy, every footstep a dazed stumble. From whatever he fell upon, it sure hit his legs hard. It was almost painful to walk. Even so, his Aesir healing properties didn't seem to be doing their job.

He wondered how long he had been in The Void. His boney, at the moment trembling, hands gently patted his face. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary-he certainly wasn't dreaming. He deftly fiddled with his hair-it had grown, that was for certain. He had made an effort to keep it neat and short in Asgard, now it fell in velvety raven locks onto his shoulders, spiking outward at the tips like a wild animal.

How had he gotten out of The Void in the first place? Had he slipped through a hole-a portal, perhaps-unbeknownst to any who watch the slim, nearly forgotten space between the Nine Realms? It didn't matter. He was alive, that was a positive note.

Loki limped, green eyes taut with longing as he heard the melodic voices again. Maybe he had somehow looped back to Asgard, or Vanaheim. He didn't even care to check his surroundings, feeling his way around trees and dips in the ground. He licked his cracked, dry lips, wetting them slightly, taking in a deep whiff of the crisp, chill air. It smelled like the forests back home, where and Thor would go adventuring in their youth. They had gone on such reckless-yet meaningful escapades, always looking for wild bilgesnipes. They never quite found one, until they were older and more adequate hunters, where for long times, he and his brother would rejoice over a successful kill.

They had been happy. He missed those days, where they had just simply been the two Odinsons, hand in hand, no one could stop them.

But times were different now. Things had changed, drastically, over the course of...however long he had been in The Void.

Loki Laufeyson.

Not Odinson.

It made his fingers twitch, his spine tingle at the thought. He brushed it away, continuing his search towards the harmonious sounds not too far ahead.

At last he came in contact with a building. Well, multiple buildings, with a road drawn out in between. Lights flickered from inside their lampposts, as if recoiling at the very sight of him. They were strung up with odd decorations, such as canes of white and red, and leaves of holly.

Loki was baffled by these bizarre designs for a town of dwelling. He stood, under the light, absolutely exhausted, before he was finally hit with the solution of exactly where The Void had deposited him:

Midgard.


	2. Chapter 2

He was plummeting. It would never end. He couldn't stop, couldn't change the direction. It would never end. And it was painful.

Silence enveloped him. He closed his eyes. It was almost...peaceful. Yes. He liked this feeling of peace. He couldn't quite remember how he had gotten here in the first place. He couldn't think straight...everything was so dark. Yet it was endearing.

And then it grabbed him. He couldn't see it exactly, but something strong gripped his arm. If he could yelp, he would've. He thrashed, his comfort spiraling away and out of existence. He had to get away..._he had to..._

It was pulling him. He kicked, he squirmed, he wriggled with all his might. He felt the opening of some sort of gateway, a portal. But with one final kick, he snapped its grip off of his ankle, and found that he was falling faster than before.

With an ear-splitting screech...he was once again face to face with his doom...

And then suddenly..._THWACK_! He slipped into immediate unconsciousness.

~.::.~

Loki jerked up in bed, desperately throwing the bedsheets off of his body now drenched in sweat.

He hadn't had a dream like that in...a whole year.

He swallowed hard, his pulse rapidly racing inside his chest.

Tha_-thump. _Tha_-thump. _Tha_...thump_. Inhale, exhale. It's all over now. It's all over.

He rose, clad in nothing but a pair of sweat pants, turning to the window and drawing back the dark drapes. Loki sighed, staring at the moonlit sky.

Well, he would be looking at the sky, if not at the same moment a peculiar tower lit up, catching his emerald eyes, which glimmered in marvel.

_'STARK' _was apparently the tower's name, blazing across the building's flank in bold, blindingly bright letters. In fact, that wasn't the only bold thing that appeared, an oddly shaped figure flew across the air, neatly landing on the far balcony. It was only a silhouette to Loki, but he knew it could only be the infamously known 'Iron Man.'

He hadn't actually encountered the man of iron yet. Or if he had, he wouldn't have recognized him. Loki liked to keep a low profile, but...every now and then, couldn't resist helping someone in need. He'd ended a few close calls from burglars, stopped robberies, those sort of things. Some people around town called him 'The Wandering Sorcerer', because as quickly as he'd appear, he'd quickly leave.

Loki had been pretty satisfied on his own-at least for now. He had come to New York after nearly a year fighting crime in Detroit. People had grown too suspicious...he'd been confronted by an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and narrowly avoided becoming part of one of their peasantry schemes. They probably knew where he was now. They know everything.

Who else knew everything? Odin. In fact, Loki was rather surprised the Allfather hadn't sent Thor to retrieve him. Was he blinded from Heimdall's gaze? There was no certain way of knowing. He'd rather not think of that now. It was all behind him. He was never going back. There was no life for him in Asgard, there never was.

Loki licked his lips, glancing a ways from the window, before gently putting the drapes back in place. It was comforting, the window's singular view. He had been thoroughly delighted to see that formerly big, hideous building look actually decent paralleled against the star-streaked sky. He yawned, remembering that it was midnight.

'I'm awakened. No point in trying to sleep again,' Loki thought remorsefully to himself, moving towards his wardrobe. He removed his sweatpants, replacing his outfit with a more formidable, casual wear. A comfortable green sweatshirt and black jeans. He had switched primarily to Midgardian clothes almost immediately after arriving in this realm. He preferred to blend in, seem less oblivious to a modern appearance. And so far, it seemed to be working.

He straightened himself up, deciding coffee sounded nice. Loki quite enjoyed the bitter taste of the dark liquid (especially when it had a hint of chocolate, that was absolutely wonderful). Even though he was practically a god, the caffeinated beverage did live up to its infamous use for rousing the sleep from his eyelids, perking him up and making him ready for practically anything.

In this case, 'anything' would be a visit from Agent Coulson.

Loki groaned as the agent managed to unlock the door and somehow get into his apartment. He narrowed his eyes dangerously, scanning the meeker man from head to toe while still clutching his mug in his hand.

"What do I owe the pleasure, for you to bestow upon breaking into my home without my permission nor prior consultation?" Loki muttered, watching as the Agent basically made himself at home, stacking two folders neatly on the kitchen table and pulling himself a seat.

"Well, you seem quite awake. We need to talk." Phil responded, raising creased brows and pushing the files his way.

Loki sighed, setting the mug down and taking a seat of his own on the placid wooden chairs. He opened one up, noticing the title.

_'Avengers Initiative'_

He scowled, reading over the simple document, stealing glances every now and then at the agent, whose eyes were almost burning into Loki's skull in an obnoxious manner.

"You're hiring me for a peasant's circus?" Loki sarcastically mused, closing the folder gently. Phil shrugged.

"No, not really. Director Fury would like you to save the world, and perhaps provide some information about the Tesseract."

Loki's lips thinned.

"It belongs on Asgard. You should find my brother, he's more competent for this role than I."

"If S.H.I.E.L.D. thought you incompetent, why would I have been sent here to relay this to you? Read the whole packet, meet us at HQ in a week if you accept, and we'll get to business," Coulson said, picking up his things and beginning to leave. He turned, shooting a glance at Loki one last time, before adding, "Thank you for your hospitality and cooperation Loki."

Loki rolled his eyes as the door shut, picking up the packet and scrolling through it. His eyes widened, dropping the sheets back upon the table.

The page showed a picture of Dark Elf. Weren't they involved with the Aether, not the Tesseract? And aren't they supposed to be dead? Dark Elves were fictional...only tales woven by his mother as he and Thor play fought the battles between Bor and the evil masses from Svartalfheim.

His heart nearly stopped when he saw the simple words:

_'Malekith the Accursed' _


	3. Chapter 3

Frigga sat, facing the small fire pit that was roaring and licking away hungrily at its supplement of wood.

Her precious Loki, her baby boy, her little sorcerer, was gone. Fallen from the Bifrost, vanished from plain sight. Yet, she refused to believe so. She wouldn't believe that Loki was dead-he was a trickster, he was smart, cunning, clever. She only hoped now he wasn't getting himself into trouble again.

Frigga focused, her eyes flickering underneath closed lids as she attempted to search for any trace of magic. If he used his magic, she could pinpoint him out, discover whatever mischief he was conjuring...hopefully, convince him to come home, where he belonged.

There! There was a glimmer of magic, a little hint of power. She practically lunged onto the wisps, finally being immersed in clear vision of him, though he would not immediately sense her presence.

Loki was in a black Midgardian suit, a green and gold scarf fastened around his neck. He looked a bit wary and cautious as he walked down the hall, eyes flickering about threateningly at anyone who gawked.

"You decided to show up." a deeper voice boomed. Loki whirled around on his heels, facing a darker man, about as equally tall as he.

"All of you feeble Midgardians will not stand a chance against a foe with great strength as Malekith," Loki remarked, "I am merely providing you aid in this task."

The man, with a dark eyepatch over his eye, reached out a hand, which Loki hesitantly took.

"We're glad to have you on board, Loki." he mused.

"The feeling is somewhat mutual, Director." Loki responded.

Their hands shook once, before the Director began chattering on something about the Tesseract, Loki giving the usual reply. But the lack of Loki using his magic was starting to make Frigga lose the stable connection, the corners of the vision growing black, before finally she was whirled out of the scene.

Her eyes blinked a few times.

"Loki..." she murmured. Her Loki was alive. He was helping the Midgardians. She sighed, rubbing her temples with a bit of relief.

~.::.~

Loki scowled, watching Phil and Steve Rogers pleasantly chat, almost not noticing his presence whatsoever.

"Eh hem," Loki cleared his throat, interrupting their chat.

Phil glanced his way, his eyes moving from Loki to Steve, as if in a sort of daze. Loki internally cringed at how incredibly weird Phil was behaving around the Super Soldier.

_'I wager that Phil will propose by the end of this task,' _Loki thought to himself.

"Oh! Oh right! Sorry, forgot you were there." Phil cheerily remarked. Steve looked down at his feet with a sigh.

"Whatever," Loki grumbled.

~.::.~

Malekith had arrived in Stuttgart. The dark elf had cleverly disguised himself, his white hair was remarkably shortened (Loki had seen ancient textbooks...all of which the elves of Svartalfheim had long, snow-colored braids) to a scraggly pixie cut, though his long pointy ears had not altered one bit.

The most noticeable trait was his blue eyes. Loki watched, ready to teleport from the helicopter that was rapidly approaching scene.

"Look to your elder, Midgardians," Malekith crooned in his deep, mesmerizing voice.

Loki's rage bubbled. Steve lept from the helicopter, unleashing his parachute. Loki swallowed, focusing his Seidr.

"Let him be an example."

_BOOM!_

Steve's shield blocked Malekith's scepter's blast. He spoke with some reference Loki didn't quite get, before Loki resurfaced behind him, locking his gaze with the elf, whose sadistic grin widened to reveal shark-like teeth.

People ran and screamed about, seizing their chance to escape.

Loki lunged forward, the flaps of his black, leather cloak swirling in the wind behind him as he sent a shot of green energy at Malekith. The twisted creature dodged, only to receive a blow to the hip from Steve's shield, sending him staggering again. Steve threw punches, Malekith's golden scepter blocked.

Once again, he sent a blast of pure magic at Malekith, which the elf only seemed to absorb, knocking Steve aside with a much more forceful blow.

Narrowing his eyes, Loki turned to charge at the dark elf, when all of a sudden...

Loud, obnoxious rock music filled the air. Both the Asgardian and the Dark Elf turned, glancing up at the sky in confusion, distracted in the moment. Something was quickly heading their way, a blur of reddish light against the shadowy, midnight sky.

It was the Man of Iron, and his hands glowed with some sort of energy source, bright blue beams colliding with Malekith's chest and sending him flying. He fell, dropping the spear, which landed several yards away.

All three men leered close by. Loki folded his arms over his chest, glaring down at the elf, who put his arms in surrender to the air.

"Make your move, Zelda." Iron Man sarcastically stated. The majestic armor cladding the elf dissolved into a mere leather tunic and trousers.

"Good move," Loki concluded, glancing at his two allies.

"Mr. Stark," Steve greeted.

"Captain." Iron Man replied.


	4. Chapter 4

"So...you're like a god or something? You look so human though." Tony queried, raising an eyebrow.

Loki shrugged.

"My form may take on a similar appearance to any average mortal, but our lifespan...give or take 5000 years?" he mused, his eyes still not leaving Malekith, who was sitting there with a blank expression.

"Hmm...one of my allies is an alien space god and the other a Capsicle, and we're against The Legend of Zelda with mind controlling voodoo?"

Loki smirked, unable to conceal his amusement.

"You could say that."

Malekith's bright blue eyes finally settled back upon Loki, burning with hatred. Loki had vexed his tongue-temporarily-so he could not speak. So far it seemed rather efficient.

The corners of Loki's lips curled into a mischievous grin.

"Don't glare, darling, it's unbecoming of you," Loki purred. Steve chuckled at that one.

"So _Mr_..." Steve began, unsure of what to continue with.

"Laufeyson. Loki Laufeyson," Loki corrected for him. He internally cringed...but he couldn't say Odinson. No, that putrid name was far behind him.

"Alright. Mr. Laufeyson, it says here that Thor is an Asgardian...and in mythology-"

"Thor may claim we are brothers, I say not. And I'd rather hope he doesn't appear." Loki coldly shot him down.

And right at that moment, thunder abruptly crashed over their heads, the flash of lightning in the distance causing the plane to dully rattle for a brief second.

Loki glanced around nervously, eyes narrowed.

"Speak of the devil!" he spat irritably. Steve raised an eyebrow his direction, but it changed to startle as a loud THUNK occurred somewhere above them. Someone had landed on the plane!

Tony cracked his knuckles, his helmet front going back over his face as he hit the cargo button, opening the back of the metal aircraft.

"Idiot!" Loki snarled. It hadn't taken long before Thor, in his blonde glory, landed down on the opened exterior. Loki's eyes widened in panic as he quickly shoved Tony aside.

Even Malekith looked clearly surprised. Thor sent the Dark Elf a glare, moving forward as if to grab or strangle him, but his arm reached out, tightly grabbing onto Loki's throat.

Loki let out a choking sound, struggling against the strength in Thor's grip, before he was dragged off of the plane.

Steve pulled on his mask.

"Mr. Stark, we need to have a plan!" Steve argued as Tony moved towards the opening he had forged.

"I have a plan," Tony replied, "attack!"

With that, Tony vanished into the stormy sky. Steve shook his head with a sigh.

"I'd sit this one out, Cap. These guys are practically gods." Natasha warned, glancing at them through a reflective mirror.

"There's only one god, ma'am, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't look like that."

And Steve went after them.

~.::.~

THUD! Loki crashed into the ground, clutching his chest painfully for a second, before his eyes narrowed.

_"What in the name of Hel was that!?" _Loki growled, moving to get up. Thor grabbed the collar of his shirt, roughly pulling him to his feet.

"Don't use that tone with me, Loki," Thor argued, his azure eyes blazing like the cool tips of a hungry flame, "You are a fool to believe I would let you get away with this trickery."

"Trickery?" Loki recoiled. "You believe this to be trickery? I have spent the past year helping the innocent people of Midgard, and as of now trying to get back the Tesseract. You are the fool if you think that I am the enemy here! I do not care for harming any mortals further, nor am I here to take the power of the Tesseract for myself, so you best find yourself a better reason to have disturbed me whilst I am trying to save your _precious_ Earth!"

Thor let out a grunt of displeasure, his mouth parting as if to argue some more, before his demeanor changed into one more like a kicked puppy.

Loki looked down upon Thor, raising his eyebrows in a flicker of doubt.

"Tell me, how much dark magic did it take for the Allfather to conjure you here?"

"It was Mother who sent me here." Thor stated simply.

Loki's heart sank.

"Did...did you mourn?" he murmured, trembling. Thor nodded.

"We all did. Our father-"

At an instant, Loki's remorse changed to rage. He raised his index finger close to his cheek, his eyelids lowering.

"_Your_. Father." Loki corrected in a singsong voice.

Thor examined him from head to toe, attempting to prevent Loki from going into a frenzied fury.

"You... look different, brother."

Loki shrugged, taking a step back from Thor's face, looking out at the starry sky.

"I didn't intentionally do so. Things happened in the Void. My hair grew longer, my heart grew icier. You could say I'm wiser now." Loki muttered.

Thor rested a hand on his shoulder, which Loki shoved away angrily.

"Don't touch me!" he shrieked. Thor shook his head, his lower lip puckering.

"Give up this false dream you've been living on Midgard. Loki...please, come _home_."

Loki looked to his feet, his fists clenching until his knuckles turned white.

"Asgard is no longer home to me." he snarled.

Thor grasped Mjolnir, grabbing Loki's neck again with the other hand, forcing him to look up. He gritted his teeth, as if to threaten, but when he saw the fear mingled with hatred in his brother's eyes, he instead changed to reason.

"Listen well, brother. I-"

That was when Iron Man slammed into Thor, knocking him into the ground a good distance away. Loki blinked, unamused.

"I'm listening." he replied absentmindedly.


	5. Chapter 5

Loki peered out over the edge, observing as Iron Man smashed Thor against the cliffside, both wrestling head to toe in the rocky terrain, battering each other in the rugged landscape as they smashed their way through both stone and trees.

When at last they landed, arguing some nonspecific nonsense, and Thor raised Mjolnir to the sky, Loki was about fed up with their bothersome idiocy. Clambering down the rocks, Loki darted out in between the chaos, feeling the Seidr rush to his hands as he deflected the hammer weakly and made it crash into the trees.

"I've had enough of this! Both of you are clouded by childish need...it sickens me." Loki scoffed. Only seconds later did Captain America land, cloaked briefly by his grey parachute, before it fell off of him in a discarded heap.

The Iron Man's helmeted face was revealed again, and he crossed his arms. Thor summoned Mjolnir back, placing it on his belt. Around them, they stared at the disastrous ruins of the forest, trees toppled up over each other in a mess. Death. Destruction.

Loki gritted his teeth, lowering his hands which were still pulsating with green energy, his nose pointed upwards in a disgusted rage. Thor's blue eyes were still on him, now more like that of a kicked puppy than a vengeful god of thunder. Loki almost felt more down of him than he ever had. Wanted to taunt his so-called 'brother' for showing such weakness. But he didn't dare now, in the presence of the two mortals.

"Are we done here?" Cap growled, his gaze shifting from Iron Man to Thor. Loki nodded.

"I believe we are." was all Loki replied with.

~.::.~

"Lemme know if 'real power' wants a magazine or something."

Nick Fury walked away, leaving the Dark Elf with his leering azure eyes to turn, looking right at the camera, taking a step forward before...

"He really grows on you." Bruce Banner interrupted, a slightly amused smile crossing his face. Loki's serious expression didn't falter as he glanced at the man, observing him with caution. He'd heard plenty a tale about the mysterious and unpredictable 'Hulk.' And he didn't really want to witness it for himself. Even so, Bruce didn't seem threatening, with subtle features and a laid back purple top.

"So. Malekith comes from a place near Asgard, right? Thor, Loki, what's his plan?" Steve asked, his fingers drumming against the curve of his arm anxiously.

Loki leaned back a bit, his arms crossed, lips thin.

"He has an army. The Chitauri, and he plans to lead them against us using the Tesseract. He was in The Void for many centuries. Loki would know more than I." Thor stated simply.

All eyes landed on the raven-haired god, whose dark eyebrows furrowed in a split second of hostility.

"Oh, I see, brother," the last word came out as a spat, "You suspect me of having sided with the Chitauri, with this deranged elf. You believe I have something to do with this. Why else would the Allfather whisk you here!?"

Thor took a step forward, clenching his hands into fists, though his voice remained calm-to the best of his ability.

"It is a reasonable suspicion-"

"For the Norn's sake, Thor! I went through hell in that disgusting wormhole!" Loki's voice was barely below a yell.

Thor could no longer handle it, his lip curling back in frustration. He shifted as if to move forward, Loki shrank back, holding his fists above his face protectively to block any blows.

Steve decided once again he had enough. It wasn't hard for both him and Natasha to make it in front of Thor in time to get him to calm down and not do anything regretful. Above some gruff remarks from Thor and Steve countering a lot of it, Loki couldn't take his infuriated green gaze away from his former brother's.

He knew now, why their relations as brothers never truly worked. It was because of this stubbornness that was Thor.

_"Know your place, brother."_ Those words haunted his every living moment, replayed in his mind at least once a day. _"The Frost Giants should learn to fear me!" _

Loki shook his head, lowering his arms, his breathing slowing back down when he recognized he was not to suffer another bashing from his 'brother', before turning on his heels and leaving. Nobody said anything in complaint-they were too busy babysitting Thor, and dealing with Malekith.

He just needed air...he needed to breathe, and think this all over. He'd find a way out of this confrontation with Thor, didn't he always?

_'Silvertongue, Liesmith, God of Lies'_

~.::.~

Loki observed the two scientists at work, observing the scepter. It made humming noises...he wasn't certain if Tony and Bruce could hear it.

It was whispering to him, calling his name. It was alluring, entrancing...and very dangerous. He was attempting to ignore it, but its voice was incredibly tempting.

"Hey! Reindeer Games!" a voice snapped his attention. Tony was waving a bag of blueberries in his face. Loki snorted, reaching in the bag and pulling out a few before popping them into his mouth, allowing the sweet juices of the berries to distract him and supplement the parched feeling in his throat.

"You zoned out there for a moment, bud, you a-okay?" Tony continued. Loki nodded, his eyes fixating on the much shorter man before him.

"I was just thinking, I'm going to need a drink when this is over." Loki murmured, his eyes lingering back to the scepter. Bruce was applying some sort of test to it, trying to retrieve data and science information on it.

Loki strolled over casually, shrugging the scientist aside and gesturing to the scepter.

"It doesn't work like that. It's an Infinity Stone, you see. The 'Mind Gem', to be exact. There is none of your Midgardian science to back it...it merely exists." Loki pointed to the small blue orb in the center without touching it. It sizzled and crackled again, and he tried to ignore the small, hushed voice that seemed to be beckoning to him.

Its whispers only grew louder as they chatted, until at last, Loki bit down the urges to touch it and went to go take a seat a few feet away, reaching again into Tony Stark's bag of blueberries and eating away at them. It seemed calm, if only for a few more moments.


End file.
